Antenna Gate

Ok, I watched the press conference last week and I have been using an iPhone for 26 days now.  I have spent half of that time with and without the bumper case on my phone to see if I can tell a difference.  Remember I upgraded from an iPhone 3G to the iPhone 4 so the extra processor speed, upgraded display, upgraded storage, memory, cameras, and design made the new iPhone 4 a huge step up from my old phone.  So after one month of use how does the new phone stack up and is the antenna issue really an issue at all?

First I can say with our without the bumper I drop fewer calls than I did with the iPhone 3G.  I have to date only dropped 2 calls.  Which is far better than I have had in the past or with other carriers.  Now there happens to be an AT&T cell tower close to my home and our office has repeaters in the building.  Most of the time when I am out and about I notice I get between three and five bars with the new algorithm Apple included in the iOS 4.0.1 upgrade.  

As a side note if you are on a 3G or 3Gs iPhone I highly recommend upgrading to iOS 4.0.1, it makes the phone much faster than the 4.0 upgrade was except for loading text messages seems to be a little slow still but the email issues have been resolved and virtual keyboard lag was resolved.  

I live in a city with pretty good AT&T 3G coverage.  There are of course a few weak spots but for the most part it works pretty well.  That is the most important thing for a phone.  If you live in an area where you don’t get good AT&T coverage then the iPhone may not be the phone for you.  I will go in depth next week on this topic and options for iPhone users that live in weaker coverage areas. 

So Apple introduced the iPhone 4 with new features like an external antenna built into the metal band around the phone.  They introduced a more sensitive radio chip that can pick up weaker signals than the previous iPhones.  They attempted to make the iPhone a better phone and for the most part succeeded but there were a few people who complained loud about the external antenna and now that Apple has seen a string of successful products the media seems to be dying to see them fail at something.  A Microsoft exec even went so far as to call iPhone 4 Apple’s Vista.  Well, the difference between Vista and iPhone 4 is of course people are buying the iPhone 4.  

Is there signal attenuation when you cover the phone with your hand?  The so called iPhone death grip.  Yes, the signal does drop from reports about 20 db.  Now at home or in most locations where I have five bars it doesn’t impact me at all.  I have never dropped a call because of how I was holding the phone.  If I am in a weaker signal location where I am getting say three bars I might drop to one bar.  But I can still make and receive calls.  

The bars on a phone are a throw back to the days of analog phones when they told you how strong a signal you were receiving.  It would tell you if your call was going to be clear or if you might have a lot of static in your call.  Today all of our calls are digital just 1’s and 0’s.  The important predictor of completing a call successfully is the bit error rate (BER) which isn’t displayed on the phone at all.  I am not saying the bars are useless they do give you a little information.  How strong is the signal coming in gives you a rough prediction of your call quality over time.  If you have five bars you are less likely to drop the call than if you have only one or two bars.  Also if you have five bars you will use less battery power than if you only have one bar.  GSM phones will increase or decrease their output power based on the strength of the incoming signal in order to save battery power.  

The important thing is it’s not the number of bars that are the most important thing, it is do you have good coverage in the area you want to use your phone and can you complete those calls?  Testing has indicated the iPhone does a better job of pulling in a weak signal and making it usable than its predecessor that coupled with the detuning of the antenna when you hold it in your hand could account for a slight increase in dropped calls.  Fewer people using cases can as well.  

Apple has offered free bumper cases through September 30th and refunds to all users who bought a bumper for their iPhone 4 to make up for the issue.  They are reevaluating at the end of September to decide what the permanent fix should be or to keep giving away the bumpers.  Rumors seem to indicate they are looking at a process to Anodize the bands to put a layer of insulation between the users hand and the antenna to solve the problem.  

Why didn’t Apple see this in their early testing?  Well for one look how phones are tested in a testing chamber.  They are usually clamped into holder and held out in the room and tested.  When a human test subject is used to test the phone how are they holding the phone?  Do they tests different grips and left or right-handedness?  I bet they will start doing that now if they haven’t in the past.  

When the iPhones were field tested they were placed in cases to make them look like 3Gs phones so the users field testing never came in contact with the antennas when they are off campus .  On the Apple campus they have AT&T and Verizon towers right there so a strong signal you don’t see the attenuation problem.  So it is possible they didn’t really know about it until there were over a million phones in the field and they started getting data back from AT&T about dropped call rates.  It is also possible they knew but didn’t think it would be a big issue until the phone was in users hands.  Either way Apple is taking steps to deal with it now.  By offering full refunds within 30 days to those who aren’t happy so far the return rate has been about 1.7%.  They have also offered the free bumpers to customers as an option as well.  

RIM, Nokia, and Motorola weighed in on Monday criticizing Apple for dragging them into the issue by demoing the same affect on other phones and denying their phones suffered the same problem the iPhone does.  

First Nokia includes instructions on their phones how to hold it properly for the best reception.  While their PR people say they put antenna design above all other considerations when designing a phone.  Second a good friend of mine has a Droid phone and was suffering from dropped calls.  She asked me about this antenna issue and I was explaining where the antenna is located on her phone and she happened to mention she gets a lot of dropped calls and happens to hold her phone at the bottom where the antenna is located.  As an experiment she tried modifying her grip on the phone and she has not been dropping calls since.  So any company that says they do not have a problem with reception based on how you hold the phone is full of it.  This is a problem with physics and short of moving back to a mast type of antenna nothing is going to completely solve the issue yet.  The first Star-Tac cell phones had a pull up antenna and the engineers knowing some people wouldn’t extend the antenna installed a helical antenna inside the phone and a switch on the antenna.  If the mast was extended the mast antenna would be used and the helical turned off.  If the mast wasn’t extended the helical would be used instead.    

Every cell phone is a radio with an antenna and software to connect to a network of towers.  It is a complex process that few including myself fully understand and it is a miracle it works for the most part.  The iPhone is an excellent phone and if you live in a good AT&T coverage area a competent device.  If you don’t have good AT&T coverage it might not be the best phone for you.  

So long to the Microsoft Kin after only being out about a month Microsoft killed it off due to poor sales we hardly new ye.  So long also to the Google G1 Phone Google just announced this last week it is going away with no plans for a G2 replacement, that is disappointing.  So long Droid and hello Droid X  it seems like you were only around about 8 months before being replaced.  Thanks to Apple for kicking off a mobile computing revolution and thanks to Android and the others for keeping Apple pushing forward and improving the technology.  This is truly an exciting time to witness the advances in technology and I can only imagine what the next five to ten years will bring.

As far as Antenna Gate goes, if you like your iPhone get one, it is a great upgrade.  If you like your Droid or G1 and don’t want to deal with AT&T stick with what you have.  If you have a Palm Pre, well I would look for a better phone perhaps check out the HTC Evo if you are in one of the few areas with 4G coverage.  If you can live with AT&T and you want a great easy to use smart phone then come on over to the iPhone we have lot’s of great apps and all the iPhone owners are always happy to share their favorite apps and talk with a fellow iPhone owner and Apple strives to keep their customers happy despite having to use AT&T as a carrier.    

Why I disagree with "10 Reasons to pass on iPad" and 10 reasons I want an iPad

I read this 10 reasons to pass on the iPad on Tech Republic this morning http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=1324&tag=nl.e101  and just had to write the 10 things that refute the argument of why to pass on an iPad.

1.)    Physical Keyboard, there is an accessory dock that has a physical keyboard or you can connect via a Bluetooth keyboard.  (This person didn’t pay much attention in the presentation)

On Screen size the larger size is a convenience that is better than the iPhone for viewing and not as cumbersome as a 17” notebook.  As long as the device does some things better than an iPhone and some things better than a laptop around the price of a net book it is going to be a hit.

2.)    The Net books don’t have usable track pads and require mice to be attached.  Also lack the CPU power and battery life the new iPad offers.  IF you want a 10 hour battery your net book would weigh about 3-5 lbs.  For 1.5 lbs. you would only get about 2 hours out of it not 10 hours the iPad offers.

3.)    Running iPhone OS there is software to allow you to remote control your Mac from the tablet.  So you get the Power of a desktop in the palm of your hand through Remote Desktop.  iPhone OS is OS X with a touch interface on top.  They do restrict what apps can be loaded and only allow what is in the app store but that could be altered in the future and it creates an app ecosystem most developers like and was responsible for the smash hit the iPhone became despite bugs in the process.

4.)    There is never enough storage.  No matter how much you put in someone will always want more.  64 GB is a good starting point.  A net book with more storage would have a mechanical drive or a much more expensive SSD drive.  As the price of flash drops and tech improves we will get more storage.  The iPhone grew from 8 GB to 32 GB in two years.  Two years from now the iPad will probably ship with 256 GB of storage and my laptop will have 2 TB of storage.

5.)    Again not paying attention.  I don’t have HDMI on my iPhone either but the Dock Connector can output 480p to my Television, and guess what the Dock connector accessory for the iPad can output 720p to a Television via a 30 pin to component video output that will be available day one.  I agree not having the camera kind of bites.  I was looking forward to video conferencing with it and there is a space for a camera in the hardware but for some reason Apple didn’t include it.  It could have been price or another technical issue.  It will come in the future I have no doubt.  (The iPad SDK includes Frameworks for Camera support in the Address book and other places, as well as Cisco wrote the Cisco Unified Personal Communicator client to use a Camera for their iPad version). 

6.)    I didn’t know they were going to have a USB adapter for the dock connector.  That is kind of cool.  Keeping it thin and light they had to leave out the USB.  It still has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.  There is no reason you couldn’t access remote storage via Wi-Fi.  I have 20 gigs of storage on my iDisk and I bet I will have access to that via the iPad.

7.)    Flash card access is available via the dock connector and to keep it thin and light something had to give. Most users wouldn’t use the Flash card slot anyway.  You can’t put one in for every format and keep the thing .5 thick.

8.)    It costs Apple $259.00 for the parts to build an entry level unit.  So if they sell them at cost they could make this guys target price.  Acer has already announced they can’t make a competitive product at that price point and make a profit on it so they are not going to even try and compete with Apple.  The pricing is really good for the device and you get what you pay for.  If you want a low performing slow net book then great spend $299 and use it as a photo frame.  If you want fast and do many things including a really sensitive touch screen $499 and you are in business.

9.)    It was unveiled a week ago.  I am sure third party manufactures will be quick to start making items for the iPad just like they did the iPhone.  I have a Belkin Tune Dock in my car, a Kensington charger in the truck, third party headphones for music, cases made by InCase, and a charger/speaker system from iHome.  This will happen for the iPad too once it hits the market.  How many people really carry spare laptop batteries or phone batteries with them?  How do you keep them charged?  Currently Mophie makes a Juicepack that plugs into the iPhone and recharges the battery to double the life of your phone.  I am sure there will be a Mophie iPad case to allow you to go 20 plus hours and not need to recharge.  Then you can recharge your device while you sleep.  The iPad CAN run Skype in fact Skype runs on the iPhone so that will be available day one.  Flash isn’t available that is correct.  HTML5 looks nice and You Tube is already testing it and rumor has it Hulu is heading that way too.  I can already view You Tube and UStream on my iPhone without flash.  Flash is a processor and battery hog that slows my laptop down when it runs and spins up the fans.  Why would I want it on my smart phone or iPad?  It is time for the world to move to HTML5 and the iPhone and now the iPad will push that trend along.

10.)  Wi-Fi is almost everywhere now so getting access shouldn’t be that tough if you use the Wi-Fi only model.  The iPad 3G is unlocked which means ANY GSM providers microGSM card should work in the device.  AT&T was just the first one announced, I am sure T-Mobile and others will be along soon.  Besides you can also just carry a MiFi device and connect through the Wi-Fi to any carrier you choose and your laptop can get on as well.  Sooner or later tethering will come to the iPhone as well and they will likely add a way for Wi-Fi iPad users to communicate with the Internet via the iPhone in their pocket via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.   

Now the 10 reasons I would own an iPad.

1.)    Sitting on my desk in a stand it will make a beautiful Electronic Picture Frame for my photos.  A Kodak EasyShare 10” Digital Photo Frame is about $175.00

2.)    Color Ebook Reader.  My Kindle isn’t color but still currently costs about $489.00 for a 9.7” DX model.

3.)    Watch movies while traveling and even be able to rent them from the iTunes store while traveling and download to the device.  Sony 9” portable DVD player is about $169.00 rentals of course if you can find a place to rent a movie while traveling.

4.)    Work on Documents and Presentations while on the go.  Sony Vaio 10.1 inch screen and 7 hours of battery life with Windows 7 $459.77

5.)    Read the Newspaper while on the go.  Ok this one is only .50 - $1.50 depending on the newspaper but it doesn’t update and isn’t good for the environment.

6.)    Play Games while I am out and about.  Sony PSP $241.00

7.)    Take notes in meetings.  Could use a computer or a notebook but it is much easier to find electronic notes later. 

8.)    Share You Tube Videos with friends on a larger screen.  Plus I don’t have stop my video to take a call.

9.)    The E-mail looks far more readable and manageable on the larger screen without being stuck behind my laptop

10.)  Remote access my Mac and PC’s for work.  It would be nice to be sipping a latte in Starbucks and get a call on my iPhone that someone needs me to fix something real quick for them and I just close my book on my iPad and open up a remote desktop and using the virtual keyboard and touch screen fix the problem and then go back to my book right where I left off.

There are obviously other devices that can do what the iPad does, not as attractive and not as user friendly.  To buy all the devices to do what it does would cost about $1,535.27 or about the cost of a 15” Macbook Pro.  So it is quite a value for what the device is capable of.  The iPhone grew in its first two years of life and added features and functions as I am sure the iPad will as well.  I think this is going to revolutionize how and where people work.

I would like to see a camera for video conferencing.  I was really hoping to see that on this version so that video conferencing could really go mainstream.  I would like to have multi-tasking or something like freezing an app in a state when it gets back grounded so I can pick up right where I left off when I return to it and use Push Notifications to tell me if an app got an update.  But above all I want the device to be fast, stable, and have a good battery life.

Is Apple Big Brother? Reality Check

In an email this past week Jason Calicanis wrote a Case Against Apple in Five Parts detailing where Apple is going wrong as a closed platform and how their control of the platform can ultimately hurt them. This got a lot of email sent to Jason, some agreeing and others well let's just say vehemently disagreeing. I am a fan of Apple but folks there is no need to be ugly about it when someone expresses an opinion on how Apple might improve.

In addition to those emails Techcruch and The Daily Beast have both run stories about both Jason's email and the responses. So I thought this week I would wade into the discussion with a few thoughts of my own.

Jason stated since the love affair was over he was going to buy a Zune. Here is my question to Jason. Isn't the Zune less open and ultimately more expensive than the iPod? First if you want to use the Zune you have to use the Zune 3.0 app to sync your Zune with your computer. The Zune software only works on Windows XP Sp2 and higher. No Macs, no Linux, are even welcome on the Zune without the use of Parallels, VMWare, or some other Virtual Machine Application and Windows. As iTunes runs on both Mac and Windows it seems as though the iPod is more open than the Zune.

Still most people just don't seem to care for the Zune even with the Social features it has that iPod doesn't. The iPod is still selling millions and the Zune is only about 3% of MP3 sales.

On the Mac OS the thing that has made the OS so stable and rock solid for years is the fact Apple has kept tight control over both the hardware and the software. By doing that software developers new pretty much what they were righting their software for and the OS developers new they only had a few types of hardware devices to worry about so making things integrate tightly and be stable was a fairly easy task.

Anyone who has worked on Windows knows that sometimes adding a sound card or other peripheral could cause unexpected results once the drivers were loaded. Microsoft is even starting to deal with that issue requiring drivers to be signed in Windows 7 and device manufactures have to pay to get their drivers signed. A great way for Microsoft to make more money and finally force manufactures into some sort of standard to reduce the number of issues they have with their operating system.

I argued in a blog post in 2002 that Apple should make an Intel version of OS X. Of course I didn't know then they already were in preparation for a transition to move their hardware to Intel. I thought they should be doing it and still controlling the experience by partnering with Dell, HP, and others allowing them to build their brand to an Apple spec and allow those machines to run OS X.

This would allow more people to use OS X and increase its market penetration and let the other manufactures benefit from Apple's design. People who are going to buy Macs aren't going to stop but their might be some lower end markets that are still untapped because they can't or won't spend $1000 on a laptop or desktop computer. Apple could still make money off the OS license and make it a little easier for people to make the leap to OS X. Plus pushing more OS X installs out their make for a larger install base for developers to write software too. It is a win/win for everyone.

But Apple is a hardware company that uses software as a value add to sell their hardware so I don't see them doing that any time soon. I wish they would but it just isn't likely to happen. Plus Atari made the mistake of opening up their platform to anyone who wanted to write a game for the platform and ended up with some low quality unreliable games and the console took the criticism for it. Ultimately Atari went away and every console manufacturer since has kept very tight control over who is allowed to distribute games to avoid the same fate as Atari. Apple by comparison has been very open allowing anyone to produce apps for the computer, but keeping a tighter control on the phone.

The iPhone while having a tightly controlled ecosystem of Apps it has the largest ecosystem of Apps of any smart phone. The device has gone from non-existent 3 1/2 years ago to a Gartner Group estimate of 13% of smart phones in just that time and still growing by leaps and bounds. Do we love everything that is being done? Of course not. We want Apple to end the exclusivity agreement with AT&T which has been a hallmark of the American cellphone market for more than a decade and allow users choice of network. Many European countries have been doing this for years and our own FCC is finally looking into the practice to determine if it is harmful to customers. The answer is in short yes it is. Handset manufactures have been largely forced to hobble their devices and stifle innovation because the carriers didn't want devices on their network that might tax it or force them to upgrade the network to keep up with changing demands.

Apple is getting a lot of heat over the rejection of the Google Voice Application which is what has touched off this firestorm. Apple has been fairly arbitrary in accepting and rejecting Apps on the App Store for some time and with no real good reasons ever given. It leaves one to wonder how much of the seemingly arbitrary decisions are Apple's and how much is it a contractual obligation with AT&T?

I would like to see Apple more open and continue their expanded market penetration. It is good for us that already use Mac OS and will push companies that only develop for Windows to start thinking about both. I have clients in Real Estate and Accounting that struggle with large companies not making websites or software that work on anything but older versions of Windows or older Internet Explorer Web Browsers. Larger market share will inevitably lead to these companies innovating and creating apps that will work on Windows or Mac and creating websites that are not hooked into a particular browser. Historically Microsoft has been the big brother anti-competitive company who has created methods to tie people into one browser, one OS and it is coming back to bite them and their customers. How many people are stuck running IE 6 because one website won't allow them to upgrade?

Is Apple Big Brother yet? No, they have the potential to someday maybe. However I hope by then they will not feel the need and allow users to tweak and customize their devices as much as they can their OS. OS X is very configurable to look and feel how a user wants to make it look and feel. Maybe once AT&T is just a player in the larger iPhone ecosystem we will see the iPhone move the same direction as OS X in terms of the variety of apps a user wants and the kind of experience a user wants. Does the user want the Apple preferred I don't have to think about my device and just use it experience or the hacker let me tweak, customize, and see what I can make it do experience?

One thing is for certain cellular networks will have to look at protecting their network from the network side and stop meddling in our handsets. Thanks to Apple that trend is starting slowly.

15 Must Have iPhone Apps

Since I got my iPhone 3G in July of this year I have collected the following list of Must have iPhone app downloads. All of these are free apps on the Apple App Store.

1.)Google app
This particular app makes Google search as easy as pushing a button and saying the words you want to search for on Google, or putting the phone to your ear and wait for the tone and state your search. Use it to search or just amaze your friends

2.)Mobile news
This is a great app from the Associated Press. It even uses the GPS to find news that is local to you. Great way to stay in touch with news around the corner or around the world.

3.)Shazam
Ever hear a song while walking through a store or hear something on TV or the radio and you don’t know the name but you love the song. Just click on Tag now and let Shazam tell you what the song is and who sings it. Later you can download it on iTunes to play again and again.

4.)AOL Radio
AOL Radio is a great way to stream any AOL Music Radio Station right t your iPhone or in the car to your car stereo with a Dock or FM Transmitter. Listen to music from around the world while you drive to work. A great replacement for XM Satellite Radio

5.)Pandora Radio
Another Streaming Radio App but this one you create your own custom channel and listen to the music you like. If Bob Seger is your favorite singer, or Plush if your favorite song just enter it into Pandora and it will pick that performer or song and others of a similar style you might also like. Give them thumbs up or down with each track to make the list better over time. Discover new music while enjoying your favorites.

6.)Remote
Control your iTunes Application on your computer over wifi from your iPhone. This is great if you have an Airport Express ($99.00) at apple.com and stream your music to other rooms from your computer. Use your iPhone as a remote to control track, playlist, even volume.

7.)YPMobile
A quick and easy Yellow Pages guide for your iPhone. Between this a Google Maps I have never had to use 411 to get any information from my iPhone.

8.)Light
Lots of these simple apps exist on the App Store but they are amazingly useful when walking into a dark room with just your iPhone. The white screen and brightness turned up all the way it makes a great way to light a dark room for a little while anyway.

9.)RDP Lite
Did you ever need to login to a Windows PC remotely. With this app you can access your computer desktop from virtually anywhere. Also versions are available for VNC clients as well. The Lite version is free the full featured Pro version does cost money.

10.)MeetBubble
Bubble is great for making sure pictures, tables and other items are level. Taking advantage of the sensors in the iPhone Bubble will ding and give you a “Whoop There it is” when he is centered.

11.)Take me to my car
Have you ever left your car in a Parking Lot and forgot where you parked? With Take me to my Car you just open the app before you get out of your car and bookmark your cars location with the iPhone GPS. When you leave later open the app and you will get walking directions from your current location to where you bookmarked your cars location.

12.)Stop Watch
This is a self explanatory app that let’s you time things. Start/Stop and Lap are all options on this iPhone Chronograph.

13.)beamMe
BeamMe is a great new way to send and receive vCards with other iPhone users. Just enter their phone number or email address and click send card and BeamMe sends them your contact information to add to their address book.

14:)
Bump is a great way to swap contacts with iPhone users. You open the Bump application and then bump your phone to another iPhone user who has bump open. It uses GPS and 3G wireless to connect to each other and ask you to verify you want to send your contact information to that person and what information you wish to send them. Then it writes into your address book.
Fring isn't as useful now that push notification on AIM works and Skype will be coming soon.
14.)fring
This is a multi-platform text and Voice chat software. Pretty much any IM client and Skype is supported. The Skype Voice Chat only works on WI-FI networks.
15.) Skype. Yes our friends at Skype have finally introduced Skype for the iPhone. It offers great voice chat over Wi-Fi only and sounds almost like you are on a phone call. They also have text chat built right in. Now that iPhone supports push notification I would look for that in the near future from our friends at Skype to give you a notice you have an incoming chat even while the app is not open.
Easy Wi-fi is no longer needed on the iPhone 3.0 software. Apple & AT&T added a feature allowing you to automatically authenticate to the WiFi Access Points at any AT&T WiFi location.
15.) Easy Wi-fi
This makes joining AT&T WI-FI hotspots a snap. Just open the App and enter your phone number for the first time and it will connect to a local AT&T hotspot and setup your free WI-FI access. This is by far the easiest way to join an AT&T WI-FI hotspot only taking a few seconds.


My iPhone has changed the way I live my life and I get excited each time a new update to the phone is released making it even more useful and almost impossible to live without. As people who are used to technology and have high expectations of tech we will always want them to do more and with the iPhone platform the will continually add new features and software that will amaze and astound us and make our lives even easier and put more knowledge at our fingertips.

iPhone 3G Review

After standing in line for 8 hours to be one of the first to get the latest iPhone from Apple, I must say I was impressed with this device. It is far more than just a phone it also a great PDA and entertainment device. It has a great feel with the curved back and metal bezel framing a nice sized glass multi-touch display. This device gets attention just holding it. Everyone seems to want to touch it and comment about how light it feels while it is only hundredths of an ounce lighter than the previous iPhone for some reason everyone seems to think they feel lighter. It is comfortable to hold in your hand even for long periods of time like when watching movies. Overall I would say if you are switching from any other phone to an iPhone it is worth the wait.
If you already own an iPhone you can upgrade your firmware to the 2.0 version and get most of the features the new iPhone offers with the exception of the 3G high speed wireless and GPS options.
The iPhone is a platform more than just a phone. New software is being released every day through the AppStore to add functionality to the device. MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the Social Networking Tools that are available for free. Programs to help identify that song on the radio you like but don’t know the name of, the list of apps is already in the thousands and more developers and apps are being added every day to make the iPhone even more useful.
Now there are still some limitations of the iPhone. The lack of Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) the ability to send video and photos over the Short Messaging Service (SMS) feature is kind of limiting. You can email a photograph to someone but you have to know their cell phones email address and not just the phone number. The camera still doesn’t support recording video, and the ability to Copy and Paste between apps is still missing. While the 3G is much faster and the WiFi connection faster yet the battery does tend to run down rather quickly requiring me to keep a charger by the bed, at my desk, and in the car so I don’t get caught with a dead phone/iPod. Part of the battery issue is the fact I use it all the time. I get my email instantly and can read it while I am listening to music or pause the video to check messages. When a phone call comes in my music or movie automatically pauses and takes me to the phone app so I can answer it.
The GPS with Google Maps and traffic information is a fantastic feature to help avoid congestion on the highways and to help you find stores and services you are looking for at the touch of a button. I am already discovering new restaurants and stores near my home I never knew were there because my phone just shows them to me.
iPhone has set the bar very high for cell phone manufacturers to make an all in one device that is fast, easy and makes a fashion statement. There will be a lot of imitations but I think it will be some time before anyone comes up with a device this good. At least until Apple comes out with the next one.